University of Dayton Research Institute

?? Do you enjoy keeping up with all things UDRI? You can now follow us on Instagram! Check out our brand-new page for even more exciting innovation. Visit our page: https://lnkd.in/gPJspKYQ #UDRI #InstagramAccount #UnboundInnovation

Last week, Composites Manufacturing Magazine featured a story about UDRI’s collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory's Manufacturing, Industrial Technology and Energy Division; Lockheed Martin, and the equipment manufacturer KraussMaffei. The project involves working together to determine if the long fiber injection (LFI) process can be used to produce CFRP components. Ideally these components would be manufactured in quantity and at a relatively low cost, for aerospace and other markets that require high-performance materials. UDRI operates the KraussMaffei LFI equipment at our Dayton Composite Center, which allows the equipment to be used for industrial projects like this one with Lockheed Martin. Nick Gagliardi and his team always welcome opportunities to collaborate and explore how LFI can be used for different applications. Click below to read more about this project or reach out to Nick Gagliardi for more information! https://lnkd.in/gfcgmZUf #UDRI #AFRL #CompositesManufacturing #LFI

This week we would like to highlight one of our own who has completed a truly impressive feat.?UDRI’s Amanda Mae Arts, Ph.D. [Fuel Science] recently obtained?her Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering! Her dissertation was titled, An HPLC-ESI-QTOF Method to Analyze Polar Heteroatomic Species in Aviation Turbine Fuel via Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography through Statistical Analysis of Mass Spectral Data.? Here you see Amanda holding an isoteniscope connected to a custom-built apparatus used to measure aviation turbine fuel vapor pressure at a range of temperatures. True vapor pressure is used to calculate the derived fuel vapor-liquid ratio (V/L), which is a critical design parameter in determining fuel pump operability.? One of the Fuel Science group’s core functions is to develop experimental methods and conduct applied research in fuel chemical analysis for industry and DoD partners.? Join us in congratulating Amanda on this great achievement!??? #UDRI #UniversityofDayton #PhD #FuelScience #FuelsTesting #MechanicalEngineering #AerospaceEngineering

?? Just dropping a little behind the scenes action to spice up your Thursday morning. Last week we had the pleasure to work with Boom Crate Studios to shoot content for our new UDRI video! We can’t wait to debut the final video.? We want to offer a big thank you to Boom Crate Studios, all of the labs that welcomed us across Dayton, and all of our researchers who took time out of their days to be a part of it! #UDRI #UnboundInnovation #VideoProduction #Videography #Video #BoomCrateStudios #VideoMarketing #DigitalMarketing

We want to thank everyone who donated to the Blue Star Mothers of Dayton for our Veterans Day drive. Your generous donations filled both of our barrels to the point where we had to put all of the overflow into a large box!? Robin Bradley, our liaison to the Blue Star Mothers of Dayton, extends the heartfelt thanks of all the chapter mothers for your generosity! They are looking forward to packing up the gifts and getting them into the hands of troops as quickly as possible.? We would also like to give a shoutout to the team members who helped load all of the donations for delivery: Jim Blair, Sarah Browning, Adam Estess, and Andy Brad.? ? #VeteransDay #Military #AirForce #Army #Navy #MarineCorps #CoastGuard #NationalGuard #Reserves #BlueStarMothers?

Why are Lithium-Ion Battery fires different than fuel-based fires? There are two important reasons why these fires are different. When an accident occurs a battery fire can act more like an explosion rather than the burning of a liquid fuel fire. Sometimes a battery can ignite due to charging issues or overheating rather than igniting in a crash. While Lithium-Ion battery safety continues to improve, the fire threat to electric cars and electrical vertical takeoff and landing (e-VTOL) aircraft remains. This means one has to fire harden the materials that surround the battery pack, and where needed, fire harden the rest of the car and e-VTOL as well.??? UDRI’s Fire Safety Science Laboratory (UDRI FSSL), with over 28 years of fire safety testing and material science expertise, is helping customers meet this fire threat. The UDRI FSSL has an ISO 9001 quality system to ensure the data for regulatory purposes is done right the first time, and UDRI ensures that customers own all the data and intellectual property from the fire safety solutions it provides. ? Post Contributor: Alexander Morgan ? #UDRI #BatteryFire #FireTesting #FireSafety #FireProtection?

?Congratulations to our partners over at the Digital Transformation Center at University of Dayton Research Institute on their one year anniversary!? #UDRI #DigitalTransformationCenter #DaytonInnovation

Happy Veterans Day! Each year we host a breakfast to honor the many veterans among our ranks. The celebration took place last week, not only here in Dayton, but across our divisions in Georgia and Florida as well. In Dayton, the Beavercreek VFW 8312 Honor Guard was in attendance and our very own James Trzeciak, from our Sustainment Technologies Transition division, sang the national anthem. We also held a drive in collaboration with the Blue Star Mothers Dayton, Miami Valley Chapter #3 to collect and provide highly needed items for troops currently serving overseas. We are proud to honor and recognize all veterans for their sacrifice and dedication today and every day. #VeteransDay #Military #AirForce #Army #Navy #MarineCorps #CoastGuard #NationalGuard #Reserves?

Happy National STEM Day! ?? ?? ?? ?? As a Research Institute that is also a part of the University of Dayton, we are reminded every day of the importance of educating new generations. Granted, our day-to-day is mostly geared towards college students but once a year our Sustainment Technologies Transition division, along with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's AFRSO - Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office, holds a STEM event with Kettering City Schools. Earlier this year our researchers helped over 70 students from Oakview Elementary School learn how to design and make wind-turbine prototypes. Who knows, maybe one of these students will end up majoring in science, technology, engineering, or math at the University of Dayton and end up working at UDRI one day! ? To learn more about this event, check out this article: https://lnkd.in/gFYpw8tG #NationalSTEMDay #STEMinSchools #STEMEducation #KetteringCitySchools #UDRI #UniversityofDayton #ComeFlyWithUs

Tomorrow marks 25 years that Dale Osborne has worked with UDRI! Dale is a Master Mechanical Technician supporting ongoing materials research contracts with the Advanced Materials Characterization (AMC) group at WPAFB. He assists in building test systems, running primarily fatigue and tension tests on super-alloys and ceramic matrix composites at room and elevated temperatures. Dale is also the primary purchaser for his?group and has also taken on the machine shop liaison duties, including specimen and test frame fixture/jig technical drawing. In 2013, an incident occurred in which Dale had to be resuscitated by three coworkers who sprang into action, saving his life. After the incident Dale gave a couple of impromptu, talks at the base and at Curran Place?about what occurred. Shortly after these talks, the Air Force installed an AED on every other floor of each building on base. This is also why you see them all over campus. Read on to learn more about Dale and join us in wishing him a happy anniversary! Q: What do you enjoy most about your work?? Probably the fact that I get to work with some super smart people, and I get to help teach incoming co-op students in laboratory operations. The other part that is equally enjoyable is that this work is at the opposite end from working on a factory floor. That is where I originally put my associate’s degree to work, only to find that I didn’t enjoy?keeping robots going. Q: What is it about UDRI that has kept you here for 25 years?? The way that UD would grant me time off at the drop of a pin to deal with our autistic son’s sometimes unpredictable behavioral issues. Also, I have had the privilege to work with nice and helpful folks over the years. I have learned a great deal since being with the AMC group. I have benefitted from both UDRI and US government engineers being interested in expanding my knowledge and skill set. I would be re-miss if I didn’t mention that my direct supervisor for most of the past 25 years, Phil Blosser, has been a wonderful boss and friend. No one could ask for better.?And great appreciation to two group leaders of the past, John Porter and Dennis Buchanan. Q: How have things changed since you started with UDRI?? Well, when I started our test frame and desktop computers were pre-Windows! We were still ordering supplies with triplicate paper forms and giving parts numbers over the phone to the supplier reps. There was no Internet. People relied on their sense of direction and a paper map to get to an address. Q: What do you consider to be your biggest success?? To be able to say that my work ethic, my integrity, and my attention to detail have garnered me respect among my colleagues and supervisors and that they know that I keep the level of BS (with respect to work!) to a minimum. They can trust that I will perform my tasks to the absolute best of my ability.? But more than that, is to know that I have provided for my family a good, safe, and comfortable life.?